Boy, 10, aunt shot outside store

Wednesday

Feb 6, 2013 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - A 10-year-old boy and his aunt were struck by pellets from an apparent shotgun blast while leaving a convenience store in a central Stockton neighborhood shortly before noon Tuesday, authorities said.

Jason Anderson

STOCKTON - A 10-year-old boy and his aunt were struck by pellets from an apparent shotgun blast while leaving a convenience store in a central Stockton neighborhood shortly before noon Tuesday, authorities said.

The shooting occurred at 11:53 a.m. in the 700 block of North Airport Way, between East Oak and East Park streets, police said. A witness said the two victims and the boy's mother had just left the store after purchasing candy and soda when they were shot.

"They started crying and rushed the kid back into the store and laid him down on the floor," said the witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for his safety. "The little boy was resisting the pain, but he said he was hurting."

The witness said the boy was struck on his right side and the back of his right leg. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. His aunt was not as badly injured, according to the witness, and declined medical attention, authorities said.

The victims told officers they heard gunfire as they left the store and realized they had been hit, authorities said. They saw a green, 1980s Toyota Tacoma extended-cab pickup going south on North Airport Way, but police said it was unclear whether that vehicle was involved in the shooting.